NZ South Island East Coast

We walked round the peninsula at Kaikoura and a fur seal popped up from under the board walk. The town was once a thriving whaling outpost. People had fences around their properties made out of whale bones. Now tourist boats take people out to watch the whales. We stayed on an expensive holiday park site here but only for one night.



Wet feet were soon soaking on our walk beside Rakaia Gorge, just south of Christchurch. This had continued an unusual day which had started with an earthquake (5.2 on the Richter scale) which we felt at 6.00am on the Banks Peninsula. The path was "natural", which meant it was more difficult. However, portents came thick and fast with the discovery of two golf balls miles from any golf course, followed by white foxgloves, white convolvulus(SP?), a Peter Rabbit pencil and finally a little red plastic heart. Fortunately all these signs came to nothing - unless you know different!!!